Several years ago I read about and applied to join a class action lawsuit against Microsoft for something bad that they did. I didn't honestly remember just what they were accused of doing, but lo and behold my cheque arrived today! $128 Canadian (97.17 United States Dollar).
The page describing the suit says:
The Class Action lawsuits were commenced in British Columbia, Ontario and Québec, but include Canadian residents in all provinces and territories. The Class Actions alleged that Microsoft and Microsoft Canada were involved in a conspiracy to illegally increase prices for certain Microsoft products.
It also notes:
You are a Class Member if you were a Canadian resident as of May 25, 2016 who, between December 23, 1998 and March 11, 2010 (inclusive), purchased a license for:
- PC versions of Microsoft's Word, Excel, Office, Works Suite, or Home Essentials applications software (including any full upgrade versions); OR
- PC versions of Microsoft's MS-DOS or Windows operating systems software.
You must have made this purchase for personal or business use in Canada on an Intel-compatible personal computer, and not for resale. Purchases must be of a genuine license for any full or upgrade version of the Microsoft products listed above.
If you purchased a Microsoft product to use on your computer, or a new PC computer with a Microsoft product already installed, that means that you purchased a license for the product.
You were potentially a Class Member if you were a Canadian resident as of May 25, 2016 who, between December 23, 1998 and March 11, 2010 (inclusive), purchased a license for: PC versions of Microsoft's Word, Excel, Office, Works Suite, or Home Essentials applications software (including any full upgrade versions); OR Microsoft's MS-DOS or Windows operating systems software.
I will note that "The settling defendants do not admit, and expressly deny, any wrongdoing or liability."
Though the maximum settlement amount that will be available as compensation to members of these Class Actions will be $409,936,100 CAD (or 311,282,927.85 USD).
Imagine the bill if Microsoft had admitted liability!
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Thursday September 08 2022, @10:38AM (4 children)
The case was probably rolling by 2014 if they were already enrolling class members by 2016, so let's make it 8 years. $50M CDN settlement per year of wrangling. How many lawyers does it take to equal $50M CDN per year?
I'm certainly glad that lawyers the world over take their duty to act quickly and efficiently seriously. /S
Україна досі не є частиною Росії Слава Україні🌻 https://news.stanford.edu/2023/02/17/will-russia-ukraine-war-end
(Score: 2) by deimtee on Thursday September 08 2022, @11:06AM (3 children)
I'm surprised that the $128 wasn't for the whole class, with the rest going to the lawyers.
No problem is insoluble, but at Ksp = 2.943×10−25 Mercury Sulphide comes close.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Thursday September 08 2022, @12:32PM (2 children)
Back in the day, we were defrauded by some small company for something on the order of $100. 8 years later we too received a class action settlement check, for something like $3.75 But, hey, those were high inflation years, so that $3.75 was worth more like $2.50 out of the $100.
Україна досі не є частиною Росії Слава Україні🌻 https://news.stanford.edu/2023/02/17/will-russia-ukraine-war-end
(Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 08 2022, @01:00PM
I'm sure the money wasn't the important part, it was the satisfaction you got when you realized that justice was served! :P
(Score: 2) by mcgrew on Friday September 09 2022, @04:46PM
I got a check from a Facebook class action earlier. Not sure what it was for, but I deposited the check. IIRC it was about $300.
Carbon, The only element in the known universe to ever gain sentience
(Score: 1) by Runaway1956 on Thursday September 08 2022, @11:21AM (4 children)
I want to see them convicted of running a monopoly, like they should have been convicted when Bush was president. But, I guess you'll take whatever you can get.
Abortion is the number one killed of children in the United States.
(Score: 5, Informative) by maxwell demon on Thursday September 08 2022, @11:54AM (1 child)
You cannot be convicted of running a monopoly, only of abusing it.
Imagine you invent something new and start to sell it. Then you automatically have a monopoly on that invention. Making monopolies themselves illegal would mean you never could sell anything truly new.
The Tao of math: The numbers you can count are not the real numbers.
(Score: 2) by mcgrew on Friday September 09 2022, @04:52PM
Imagine you invent something new and start to sell it. Then you automatically have a monopoly on that invention.
You're confusing patents and copyrights the opposite way most people confuse them. Copyright is granted automatically (you need to register to sue, $35) while patents must be applied for, aren't granted automatically, and cost thousands of dollars before any lawyer fees.
Carbon, The only element in the known universe to ever gain sentience
(Score: 3, Interesting) by DannyB on Thursday September 08 2022, @09:55PM
Microsoft WAS CONVICTED of maintaining and abusing a monopoly. During the Clinton administration. Then Bush was elected. About the judge Penfield Jackson let slip his opinions before the verdict was published. This gave the impression of bias. An appeals court overturned the order for Microsoft to be broken up.
My personal opinion of the idea to break up Microsoft into OS and Applications was a bad idea. Instead I believed they should split Microsoft into two, maybe three companies. Call them Microsoft-A, Microsoft-B and Microsoft-C. Each of A, B and C gets the entire intellectual property portfolio and product lines. NOW we have some real competition going on here. Three companies with similar products trying to sell their products in a competitive market. Each company will want to differentiate their product from the others, causing divergence. Yet they will all need to cooperate on some kind of common (if not public) APIs in order to ensure interoperability. The market will demand that their existing software continue to run on A, B and C's operating systems. And that, say, word processing files from A, B and C be interoperable on the other companies' word processors. IMO, at the time, that would be a Good ThingTM.
One amusing thing, to those of us following, to come out of the DOJ vs Microsoft trial was when the #4 guy at Microsoft (I did know his name, but after so many years I have forgotten it) let slip under oath that "Windows 98 is inherently insecure". Gee? Why didn't you tell everyone that before they bought Windows 98?
Thank goodness for the rise of Linux and open source. Microsoft has now had to embrace both in order to stay relevant. The OS no longer matters unless you run legacy software. Everything now is done on a web browser.
Long ago, IBM was in the middle of a trial for monopoly abuse. Finally! After years and years of abuse and stalling. Then Regan was elected. The case was dismissed due to "lack of merit".
Thank goodness for the rise of microcomputers.
How often should I have my memory checked? I used to know but...
(Score: 2) by mcgrew on Friday September 09 2022, @04:48PM
They were, under the Clinton administration. Then Bush was sworn in and rather than a spanking, wagged their finger at them and said "bad dog! Bad!" Not even a rolled up newspaper.
Carbon, The only element in the known universe to ever gain sentience
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 08 2022, @11:22AM
Go get em, Tiger.
https://www.cnet.com/personal-finance/facebook-90-million-data-tracking-settlement-time-is-running-out-to-file-a-claim/ [cnet.com]
(Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 08 2022, @12:03PM (2 children)
... is it enough for a coffee nowadays? (large grin)
(Score: 3, Touché) by Opportunist on Thursday September 08 2022, @12:41PM
Well, there are places for coffee that are not Starbucks, so yes.
(Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 08 2022, @01:02PM
Better! Coffee AND a donut! [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Gaaark on Thursday September 08 2022, @01:00PM (1 child)
I got a cheque for $52, as by 1999, I had stopped using Microsoft products.
I guess i should have lied and claimed more, though i remember something about needing a receipt if claiming more than blah blah blah...
I'm sure MS is still laughing, though, because they still made a profit in the long run by keeping some people using their 'fine' products.
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 08 2022, @05:14PM
So, only for a coffee [soylentnews.org] then
(Score: 1) by shrewdsheep on Thursday September 08 2022, @01:01PM (1 child)
Good to see MS punished for it's bad deeds. Unfortunately, it only means that everybody else has to pay more. In view of this, it would increase my satisfaction if you could dig up the law suite and post it here. Also, it would be nice to get a breakdown of the settlement fund. Thank you.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by GloomMower on Thursday September 08 2022, @03:53PM
How does it make people pay more?
The amount people pay for their software is already from artificial scarcity, not priced to cover Microsoft's expenses
Microsoft cash on hand in 2020 was over 100 Billion.
(Score: 2) by RedGreen on Thursday September 08 2022, @01:18PM
Though somehow missed the way to get it up to the level in the article, only $85.?? for mine and my brothers, wonder what I missed to get that extra 40 or so from the scummy bastards.
"I modded down, down, down, and the flames went higher." -- Sven Olsen
(Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Thursday September 08 2022, @04:38PM (1 child)
What's a Microsoft?
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 2) by mcgrew on Friday September 09 2022, @04:54PM
Kind of like BSD or Linux with the slash turned backwards, and full of bugs and poor design.
Carbon, The only element in the known universe to ever gain sentience